Back

What is that unschooling thing? | Day 169 of my 2023 Journal

Cecilie Conrad·Jun 19, 2023· 2 minutes

🇩🇰 Also available in Danish 🇩🇰

On some days of my travel- and reflection journal, there is not much to talk about.

I can not keep sharing how green the Swedish forest is in the summertime or how I, yet another day, failed to see a moose.

We are enjoying the peace and don’t even want to go on day trips or hikes.

Still reading books, cooking meals, having conversations, and swimming in the lake.

It is still precious.

But of course, there is thinking.

There is always thinking.

I heard a podcast with a statement that got me thinking:

“At that point, we were completely unschooling. She wakes up, and she decides what she wants to learn today.”

You see, this sounds, to me, not like unschooling at all by no means.

It sounds like a maybe very freestyle form of homeschooling, but still, a life where the children are supervised by the adults who ensure they learn.

True unschooling is a lifestyle where the whole idea of school has been removed from the equation, the idea of “you have to learn” and the idea of the curriculum. Both. Both need to go in order for it to be unschooling.

You see, learning is a byproduct of living.

Anything we do voluntarily has a challenge, and therefore we grow.

We learn.

If there were no challenges, it would not be fun.

There is no way a meaningful life will not leave us smarter every day.

The difference for the unschooled child is that the child is not expected to learn anything in particular, not even DO anything in particular. In our family, we all pursue our hobbies, do what we LIKE to do, and find meaningful.

This can be hard to see on the surface. On the surface, it all looks just like a weekend. But it is not. We don’t do weekends. We just live — every day.

Love and light

Cecilie-Underskrift-300x133

Cecilie Conrad

🇩🇰 Also available in Danish 🇩🇰

 

Thank you for reading
I would love to hear from you. Listen to your thoughts and reflections - or praise :) It is often emotional to share our life like this, and we get very happy when we get feedback from you. So feel free to share a comment below 😋 

Discover the life-changing mantra 'Anything is better than the sofa' that became central to our family's philosophy during an epic road trip. Learn h…Read more
A walk through the local market reveals the beauty of street art and its vulnerability to time and change. The experience is enriched by the discover…Read more
A thought-provoking day trip to Portal Maya in Playa del Carmen reveals the complexities of modern tourism. The experience raises questions about eco…Read more
Jetlag and emotional shifts mark our second day in Playa. As we await friends, we explore local markets and street art, challenging first impressions…Read more
In Playa del Carmen, we confront initial reactions to tourism and local flavors. The "Why are we here?" question sparks deep reflection and planning.…Read more
Navigating a 20-hour journey to Playa del Carmen, we confront various fears and challenges, from dietary restrictions to border controls. Despite the…Read more
Transitioning from van life to backpacking, our packing choices reveal hidden fears. As we embark on a seven-month journey, we face the challenge of …Read more
In our sixth year of full-time nomadic living, we've found that the real adventure lies in the people we meet. From Europe to America, friendships ar…Read more
As we transition to a life in backpacks, we're reminded of the power of minimalism. Discover how shedding the non-essentials not only lightens the lo…Read more